Deebo Samuel is requesting a trade from the 49ers. (1:31) Maybe it shouldn't come as a surprise that San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel requested a trade. Over the past month or so, there were signs that Samuel was unhappy with the 49ers, including removing the team from his social media accounts and declining to attend the opening of the 49ers' offseason conditioning program. There are many questions about how a once strong relationship between a team and one of its best players has reached a critical point. Samuel is in the final year of his first contract and would like to extend it. The Niners want to keep Samuel long term because they view him as a cornerstone player. Nick Bosa is expected to get a mega-contract extension soon from the Niners. In recent years, the Niners have gotten deals done with players in similar situations after lengthy negotiations. The Niners can go through free agency and the draft before training camp because of those agreements. The receiver market has exploded this year with Davante Adams, Tyreek Hill and Stefon Diggs earning contracts that have changed the going rate for a top wideout. While the ceiling has been reset, the floor has as well, as a less accomplished wideout such as Christian Kirk, who received an eye-opening contract averaging $18 million per year. The 49ers have free-agent signings.
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Samuel is not the only one who wants a new deal. Samuel is eligible for extensions because he was a non first-round pick in the same draft.
Samuel's situation is different. Samuel's success is tied to his added value as a running back which, in theory, could raise his price tag above the other. That flexibility cuts both ways. It increases Samuel's earning power but also takes a bigger toll on his body and career longevity.
At the end of the season, Samuel said he was fine with the dual role.
Samuel said that he was fine with it and that he was down for whatever the team needed.
At the time, Niners coach Kyle Shanahan said Samuel would have a very similar role in 2022, but acknowledged the Niners have to be careful with that.
Samuel has requested a trade, but the Niners will not trade him. There are a few options.
Fix whatever is broken to sign Samuel long term. This would be the Niners preference. They were adamant about signing him and keeping him. They have tried to engage in discussions in recent weeks. Deleting the team&s best offensive weapon would be a tough pill to swallow for any team, but especially one that was one win from the Super Bowl and is now preparing to hand over the offense to a young quarterback. It is not out of the realm of possibility that the sides could still find common ground.
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Trade Samuel to the highest bidder. If the offers are good enough, the Niners will have to consider it. The 49ers didn't have a first-round pick in this year's draft after dealing it to Lance last year. The Niners would have to swap Adams and Hill for first-round picks in order to move Samuel. Since the Jets have two first-round choices and have familiarity with Samuel, they would be a good match for Hill. The Niners have traded a player they didn't want to trade before, having done it with defensive tackle DeForest Buckner and the Indianapolis Colts in 2020. The hardest thing John Lynch has had to do as a general manager was trading Buckner. Trading Samuel would be at the top of the list.
Make Samuel play out his final season and then tag him in 2023. This would probably result in a tense stare-down between the sides. The Niners have some leverage here. If Samuel does not report to training camp, he could lose an accrued season and become a restricted free agent in 2023, which means the Niners would retain control of his rights. Samuel could opt to hold in, which has become a popular method for players seeking new deals by reporting but not participating in on-field activities. It would have to be willing to work out an extension for the Niners to be on board. It is more likely that Samuel will play out the season and the Niners will tag him with an option to trade him next year. An injury to Samuel would hurt his value on a new contract and make it harder for the Niners to get a trade for him.
According to reports, Deebo Samuel is looking for a new deal with the 49ers.
It would make sense to trade Samuel sooner than later if the Niners decide to do so.
The 49ers need to know what holes they need to fill if they get a first-round pick in the draft. Losing Samuel would create a lot of holes.
Samuel would be traded later on. If he is still on the Niners by the end of the first round, it will send a clear message to the Niners how they intend to handle the situation.
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